


The Interrogation

by hermitpanda



Series: Coffee & Pie [4]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 16:04:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8584876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermitpanda/pseuds/hermitpanda
Summary: “I can’t spend too much time with him alone or there might be no turning back.”
She studied him. “Are you in love with him already?”
“No, but the seed’s been planted for a while now. If I let it, it’s going to happen.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, two stories posted in one day. I'm on a roll. Yesterday and this morning, I sat down and brainstormed different things that I want to do within this series. I have 40+ ideas as of right now. Mostly fluffy. I like fluff. I hope you guys like fluff too. Enjoy :)  
> ~* HermitPanda *~
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or show. I'm just borrowing them.

Hotch put his forearms on the kitchen table and leaned forward, watching his sister-in-law bustle around the kitchen. He knew this routine well. It always preceded one of their talks. She took a beer from the fridge and uncapped it for him before pouring herself a glass of wine. She carried the beverages to the table and sat in the seat opposite him. “Just because you bring me a beer first, doesn’t make it any less of an interrogation you know.”

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Hush.”

 

He chuckled. “That’s not very threatening, you know.”

 

She just shrugged at him. “So, how was it?”

 

“Better than I expected actually. It was a very enjoyable evening.” He sipped at the beer.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him again. “You were later than I expected.”

 

He smiled. “You’re going to end up with wrinkles if you keep doing that. Do you want me to start there or at the beginning?” 

 

“You interrogate your way; I’ll interrogate mine. What kind of men were there?”

 

“All professionals. Lots of scientists. Some other law enforcement. Some lawyers and doctors. A radio DJ. That one that does the mid-day segment on the station you listen to.” He grabbed a few grapes from the bowl in the middle of the table and popped them in his mouth.

 

“Aw man. Nick at Noon is gay? He’s got the greatest voice. It’s all kinds of sexy.”

 

He nodded in agreement. “Reid was there.”

 

“Reid? As in Spencer? Our Spencer?” She gaped at him.

 

Hotch raised a brow at her. “What do you mean ‘our Spencer?’ That makes absolutely no sense, Jess.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, it does. You know exactly what I mean. It was him?”

 

He nodded. “The one and only. We went for coffee after.”

 

Jessica grinned and leaned forward, her glass of wine forgotten. “Oh, really?”

 

Hotch leaned back in his seat and tried to gather his thoughts. “I didn’t talk to him during the mixer. He asked for a ride after because his car is in the shop. What does it say about me that the only man in that room that attracted me was Spencer Reid?”

 

“That you have really good taste in men. So that’s why you went for coffee?” She smiled.

 

“Yes. No. Well, sort of,” he said. She picked up her forgotten glass and sipped her wine, waiting for him to explain. “I asked him to go to coffee because I am attracted to him and wanted to spend time away from work with him. And part of me was jealous because he said he’d gotten a couple numbers. I wanted to know who had attracted him. Except I didn’t tell him that. I told him I wanted to avoid your interrogation.”   
  


A laugh bubbled out of her. “You have my permission to use me as an excuse to spend time with Spencer any time.”

 

He grinned at her before sobering. “I can’t spend too much time with him alone or there might be no turning back.”

 

She studied him. “Are you in love with him already?”

 

“No, but the seed’s been planted for a while now. If I let it, it’s going to happen.” He frowned at his beer.

 

She laid her hand on his arm. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

 

He picked at the label on his beer. “I’m not sure that I could remain neutral at work. Even if you don’t consider the whole no-fraternization rule, there’s still the fact that I have to make decisions about assignments for my team. Reid’s the best at handling unsubs in the middle of a mental break. I have to be able to send him into situations that are dangerous, even potentially deadly. It already weighs heavily on me while I’m not allowing myself to have that depth of feelings for him.”

 

Hotch fell silent, and Jessica just waited for him to continue when he was ready. “Every time I make that decision now, I end up having nightmares after the fact. If I allow myself to fall in love with him, reciprocated or not, I don’t know if I would still be able to make those decisions in the same way. Could I still send him into those situations knowing that he might not come back? How many people would end up dying because I might not be able to let the man I love do his job properly? And what about the aftermath? The nightmares would be worse. I think it would break me. I don’t think I could do it.” 

 

Jessica rubbed his arm. “You’re bullshitting yourself if you think it would break you. I know that I’ve never seen you in the field, making those decisions. But I do know that that team is your family. You already love them and make those calls to send them into danger. No one is better equipped to handle being in love with one of the team members and sending them into danger than you.”

 

He shook his head silently and avoided making eye contact with her. “Aaron, listen to me. Your team has absolute faith in you. They allow you to make those decisions for them knowing that you’re going to do everything possible to see that they come back out. You’ve never failed them. Trust their faith in you. If it ever turns into a relationship, you need to trust Spencer to know you and trust you well enough to decide for himself if you should make that decision for him.”

 

He considered her. “You really think that I can continue to lead the team if I’m in a relationship with one of them?” 

 

“Yes, Aaron. I do. So tell me every detail of the mixer even if it was almost a bust.” She nudged him.

 

He knew she was trying to distract him from the insecurities that he rarely voiced and let her pull him into a discussion about the mixer. He told her everything he could remember about all the men he had talked to, including what they were wearing when she pressed him for physical descriptions. He got up to refill her wine glass and get himself another beer. “I should put you on the team. Unsubs would crack after five minutes with you. We’d solve every case in record time.”

 

She grinned at him. “I had lots of practice questioning boys about their intentions for my beloved baby sister. If I remember right, you were one of them.”

 

He laughed. “And all my interrogation skills were learned from you, of course.” 

 

“Of course. So ... Talk to me about Spencer.” She watched him intently.

 

Hotch stared at her for a few moments. “Just ask. Then you get exactly the information that you want.”

 

She grinned. “You’re an easy mark, Aaron Hotchner. So you like Spencer, huh?”

 

He nodded. “Reid’s very attractive. Physically, yes. There is a reason that Morgan calls him Pretty Boy, but it’s not just that. His intellect and personality are just as attractive as the outside. He’s become so confident in the last couple years. It’s nice to see.” 

 

“So just how long have you had a thing for Spencer?” She smiled.

 

He considered. “I’m not sure actually. I used it to beat myself up during the divorce. I’d have been a better husband if I hadn’t been attracted to Reid. That sort of thing.”

 

“You never mentioned that at all in all the times that we talked then,” she said softly. She frowned at him thoughtfully.

 

“I was getting divorced from your sister. Beloved baby sister is what you said just a few minutes ago. You were wonderfully neutral when no one else was. If I had admitted to being attracted my male subordinate, I’m not sure you still would have been so neutral. I didn’t want to make you feel like I’d ever been unfaithful to Haley.” He watched her.

 

She shook her head. “We both knew you never cheated, would never have considered it. You both stayed faithful to a marriage that was failing longer than most other people would have. She needed you to be a man that you couldn’t be. It wasn’t a lack of love or faithfulness that tanked your marriage.”

 

“I know. I still beat myself that I wasn’t the man she needed.” He swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

 

“Stop it. She forgave you a long time before she died. She beat herself up plenty also, thinking that she wasn’t understanding enough, or that she wasn’t the woman for you,” Jessica told him. 

 

He stared at her. “I never blamed her. Ever.”

 

“I know. Stop beating yourself up for what was or what could have been or what should have been. Start focusing on what you want right now and in the future that’s going to make you happy. I think that’s going to be Spencer.” She stood up. “Goodnight Aaron.”

 

“Goodnight Jess.”


End file.
